Call Kurtis: DirecTV Ads Promised 2 Years Of Discounts But I Only Got 1 Year

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A Colfax senior citizen signed up for a two year deal with DirecTV. But when he only got a discount for one year, he called Kurtis.

We hear these complaints all the time… people promised deals seen in ads and then not getting them.

But this man did what many of us don’t do and that really helped his case.

Retired Air Force consultant, Harold Dains, held onto the ads, showing the offer that got him to switch to DirecTV.

“Thirty-one dollar discount the first year, $16 the second year,” said Harold.

A monthly discount.

The ads read, “Lock in your savings for 2 years.”

But after signing up with an installer, DirecTV emailed him, saying the deal was good for only 12 months.

He called the company and says the customer service rep assured him his second year discount would automatically kick in.

“I trusted what they said,” said Harold.

But after the first year, Harold’s bill jumped 35 bucks his discount was gone.

“Oh what happened? Goodness me, I’m dead in the water,” said Harold.

“Most people would just suck it up and pay the extra 16 bucks a month,” said Stuart Talley, consumer attorney, KCR Legal.

Talley says people often don’t keep records of the promised deals.

“If you see an ad on television or somebody tells you on the phone, have them send you a confirming email or ask for something confirming the deal in writing,” said Talley.

We reached out to DirecTV. In an email, they tell us:

“This order was placed through a DirecTV dealer, not DirecTV…”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Dains was incorrectly told that his discount would continue in the second year, since he was not eligible for the offer when he signed up and only qualified for a 12-month rebate…”

DirecTV told us and Harold that his credit prevented him from qualifying for two years.

After we got involved, DirecTV credited him $32 for the two months he already paid and will give him additional monthly discounts for the rest of the year.

“When you’re a senior on fixed income, 16 a month can mean a lot,” said Harold.

… allowing Harold to put some of that money towards his green fees.

Harold says while he’s happy he got the discounts, he plans to switch to a cheaper carrier at the end of the year when his contract is up.

DIRECTV Statement

Unfortunately, Mr. Dains was incorrectly told that his discount would continue in the second year, since he was not eligible for the offer when he signed up and only qualified for a 12-month rebate. Once the customer’s issue was brought to our attention DIRECTV contacted Mr. Dains to apologize for the misunderstanding and present him with a one-time credit and additional discounts. The value exceeds that of the second year rebate offer he originally requested. Mr. Dains accepted the offer and was happy with our resolution.